Return of Ice - Return of Fire
by Kazouha
Summary: Lyanna and Rhaegar have barely survived Robert's Rebellion and fled to Essos, leaving their son in the care of Ned Stark. Nearly seventeen years later they return to Westeros in secret and their daughter Alyssa joins the Stark household to accompany them to King's Landing. It is only a question of time until war returns to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the Long Night awaits.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello guys. This is my first ASoIaF fic and I haven't read all the books. I get my information mostly from wikis, so if anything is wrong please feel free to notify me about it. I will keep to the books a little in the beginning (I'll use some characters who don't appear in TV), but all in all the story will have more elements from the TV series. It starts in 300 AC which means the characters have the same age as in TV.**

 **This is a multi POV fic with a lot of different POVs like Alyssa, Aegon, Ned and more.**

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"It seems we will never arrive in Lys if there is no wind at all!" Uncle Rowan complained. Byren looked at his uncle and sighed.

Since they boarded the ship a few days before in a small port city he did nothing but complain. Sure, it was terribly boring here, but it would get better once they arrived in the Free City of Lys. Byren could think of nothing else but the amount of Lysene pleasure houses and the lusty girls inside. Just imagining it made him feel aroused.

"It was your idea to go there, Uncle!" He bit into a piece of salt meat. "Are you sure we'll find the dragon siblings there? That Westerosi King pays well for their heads!"

"Don't talk about our business in Lys that openly," Uncle Rowan hissed. "A lot of people are looking for the last remaining Targaryen children. And speaking for myself I want to get my hands on them before anyone else does. On them and a royal pardon from the king to return home."

Byren shrugged. He knew that his kin were from Westeros and that his uncle had been a lord somewhere, but that was before he was born, and his part of the family had lived in Essos for quite some time. The nephew had joined the uncle in the bloody business of assassination after his parents had passed away. He was quite skilled now. Rowan had taught him well.

Everyone else probably held them for travelers dressed in plain clothes, but underneath the tunics both had a belt of throwing knifes and tiny flasks filled with poison. In their strongbox were another two sets of weapons, a small bow and arrows. Yet, they looked harmless to the other passengers. It wouldn't do them any good, if someone realized their profession.

"For return we take a galley to King's Landing! At least then we won't have any problems with the wind!"

Byren was irritated by his uncle's optimism. Nobody they had met in the last few months had seen their prey and it was nearly impossible to find someone without any clues about their whereabouts.

It took them another three days to reach port and finally set foot into the island city. The two men found an inn on one of the less busy streets that seemed perfect for a temporary lair while they were searching the city. When the sun started to set, and the sky turned darker they found themselves in the inn's common room. They drank dark ale and ate honeyed chicken for supper.

"I'll go looking for a girl now. You stay here?" Byren asked.

"Aye! Just don't spend all your money on those whores!" Rowan laughed and emptied his mug. "I'll drink another one or two and wait for you in our room. Make sure to return before dawn to get some sleep before we start looking around tomorrow!" Both men grinned and Byren left in a hurry.

After all that traveling a woman by his side was the one thing he needed most. He could not even remember when he had pleasured himself with the company of women the last time. It must have been months or at least it felt like months.

When he found a pleasure house to his liking, he entered, and a courtesan invited him over.

"How can I help you m'lord?" She chirped and smiled at him. She was young not older than twenty and breathtakingly beautiful. Yet, his purse was not allowing him to take her.

"A lovely girl. Preferably with dark hair or a typical Lysene."

The woman smiled again. "You should try a Lysene girl. I have some girls of Valyrian origin. Silver hair and purple eyes. True exotics even for Essos." Now even Byren smiled.

"Sounds interesting. I guess I'll take one of them."

The courtesan brought over two girls younger than herself and both astonishing beautiful. He picked the older one, Vaela. She took his hand and let him upstairs into a secluded room with a large bed in the middle. They started kissing the moment he closed the door and Byren was sure this would be an interesting night. Vaela was quite straight forward and began undressing him. He put a hand under her chin and shook his head. She looked confused but stopped.

"Do you speak the Common Tongue?" He asked. She nodded. "Good. Then let's talk a little." He gently pushed her towards the bed and slowly undressed her. It did not take long since she was only wearing a loose silk dress with nothing underneath. He touched her breasts and the bare skin of her back. "You look quite exotic."

"Yes, m'lord. We are proud of our Valyrian heritage. You will find a lot of us here in Lys and nowhere else in the world. Valyrian blood is rare so you should consider yourself lucky." His hands wandered to her lower parts and when he caressed her inner tights she moaned softly. He knew she would tell him more interesting things when he continued to pleasure her.

"When you say so. Maybe you are a lucky woman. I'm a well-paying customer and I won't pay you with gold only." She moaned louder. He could see her getting wet. "Tell me more about those with Valyrian blood."

"There is not much to tell, m'lord. Old Valyria is long gone and the great dragonlords with it. Even the last bloodline of the dragonlords is nearly extinct. Rumor has it that the young dragon princess Daenerys is the most beautiful woman in the world and her brother the exiled king is said to be looking quite handsome himself. I fear you will only find lowborn people like me here in Lys."

"Too bad!" He pushed her onto the bed and kissed her lips down between her legs. "I'm very interested in Valyrian history. It would have been nice to meet someone who has seen the Targaryen siblings in real. I mean they are living history."

Between her moans she answered. "Nobody knows what they actually look like. When you are lucky you'll find a young couple at the market tomorrow. They stand out, so you can't miss them. I don't know their names, but I'm sure they can help you. People gossip they are siblings, but for me they look like lovers."

"See, and you told me there is not much to tell. I'm very thankful for your hints. Now let's get to the point!" He grinned, and she understood immediately. Smiling she pulled away his tunic and undid the laces of his breeches. Good thing he had left his weapons at the inn. The girl would have died of shock. As he kneeled naked next to her she spread her legs and the view was most inviting. But when he was over her ready to enter her body, she grabbed his shoulders and switched positions. Vaela _was_ straight forward. She guided him inside her and moved her hips, first slowly then faster until both of them were covered in sweat and breathing heavily. She wasn't only beautiful but a master at her profession.

Amazingly satisfied he returned to the inn. Rowan was already in bed snorting when he entered the room. He locked the door and laid down on the empty bed, thinking about what Vaela had told him. He should look for a couple at the market. Not a very detailed information but at least a start. Should Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen be here in Lys the assassins would find them.

The next morning Byren made plans with Rowan and told him about his newest lead.

"Sounds like nonsense but try your luck. Maybe they have an interesting tale to tell."

Byren went out without breakfast. It was not that he was not hungry, but he feared to miss the couple if he was too late. The market place was quite huge, and it took him a while to find a spot from where he could see most of the market. He sat down under a large tree and watched as the market got crowded with time. It was about midday when a couple appeared that caught his eye. A boy and a girl both with silver-blond hair and fine clothes. Definitely not some lowborn peasants.

"Any progression, nephew?" Byren looked up, saw Uncle Rowan and nodded.

"See the couple over there? The ones with the silver hair and the fine clothes. Those are the ones Vaela has talked about."

"Vaela?"

"A whore!"

Rowan chuckled. "You and your information from whores!"

"How old do you think are they? Could it be them?"

"Hard to say. The girl would fit the age, but the boy I don't know. They seem a little too relaxed for being hunted. And they seem to be lovers."

"Vaela said they are rumored to be siblings." He watched them closer as they went by. The girl wore a lavender silk dress with a belt around her waist and the boy a grey brocade doublet with a cloak in the same color. The cloak was fastened with a clasp in form of a dragon. Byren smiled. "I think that's proof enough. I'll follow them to see where they sleep. Then we get them at nightfall."

Rowan nodded and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Be careful, boy! We must be sure about them. Do nothing risky alone. Come fetch me and we do it together!"

Byren agreed and followed the couple through the city. Lys was interesting. The port city covered the whole island it was built on and therefore it was surrounded by water at all sides. At the north-east end of the city was a keep. The street leading to the keep had a lot of big town houses and his targets entered one of those big houses. He looked around and saw a beggar across the street in an alley. He gave him a coin.

"Can you tell me, who lives in this house?" He asked him in the Common Tongue. The man frowned and Byren asked the same question in Bastard Valyrian. It was not his preferable language, but the man seemed to understand.

"A merchant and his wife. They sell gems and jewelry, but I have never seen him or her. Just the boy and the girl who entered the house." He stopped and looked at Byren, demanding. He rolled his eyes and gave the man another coin. "They moved in not long ago. People gossip about the wife. They tell she is a highborn lady from the Westerosi Houses, who ran away from home, but it's only rumors!" The young assassin nodded and carefully surrounded the house. When he was sure that he had found the best way to enter he retreated and decided to visit Vaela again.

After spending some time with the whore, he met Rowan in the inn. They ate supper in the common room and when it was dark outside they equipped their weapons and went for the hunt. As they arrived at the targets' house Byren felt the adrenaline kick in. The expectation of taking a life soon made his blood boiling under his skin. The house was completely dark, and it seemed even the servants had already gone to bed. They circled the house and found the tree that was high enough to get onto the balcony and easy to climb even for his uncle.

"I looked through the windows on the first floor. There were guards patrolling. Maybe we should wait and kill them in the morrow when they leave the house." Byren smiled. His uncle was always careful when it came to guards, but Byren liked it to sneak and hide from their eyes. It was the most interesting part in their business.

"You can wait here if you are too scared. It's only some guards, Uncle! Nothing we should bother with. Come on there is only one guard on this floor." They entered the house silently through and open window. Byren unsheathed his dagger and sneaked closer to the guard. He would be collateral damage. With a swift move he covered the man's mouth with his left hand and cut his throat with the right. His uncle followed behind and they opened the door to the first room. It was empty. In the second they were luckier. It was the girl's room and she slept soundly in her bed. The canopy was closed on one side. He signaled his uncle to return to the empty room in case she would notice him. Rowan ignored him and hid behind the curtains. His dagger still dripping with the guard's blood, he was about to cover her mouth when her eyes snapped open and she kicked him in the stomach. She grabbed his arms and forced him backwards pushing the dagger away from her throat. She looked like an angel with her silver hair, fair skin and large purple eyes. Far more beautiful than Vaela.

Rowan did not move behind the curtains. Byren grinned. He would not let himself get defeated by a little girl no matter how strong she was. He managed to overpower her, and his dagger landed a hit on her forearm. The wound was deep, and she screamed in pain. _Damn bitch!_ Now probably everyone in the house was awake and aware of the intruders. It took only seconds before a woman arrived in the doorframe. Byren turned his head to take a short look at her. She was small framed with fair skin and long dark brown hair. Her hand was on her swollen belly. _The gods won't be happy about killing a pregnant woman._ When the newcomer saw the cut on the girl's arm her eyes filled with anger. She ran towards him, picked up a silk scarf from a nearby cupboard and started to strangle him. It all went so fast he did not know what to do. His eyes returned to the girl sitting on the floor and pressing a piece of cloth on the wound. He should have poisoned his weapon before coming here. Grave mistake. Rowan still would not come to his help. The woman pulled stronger and Byren gasped for air. He could not breathe and dropped the dagger. He felt his body get limp and the world around him turned black. In his final thought he laughed ironically. _Killed by a woman with a silk scarf._

Rowan watched the scene in horror not able to move even a finger. He saw his beloved nephew, the last of his kin except himself, gasping for air but the woman did not stop. He remembered what Byren had told him at supper. The house belonged to a jewelry merchant and his wife. So, this was the wife. A furious woman from Westeros, a Northerner by her looks and in the last stages of pregnancy. She was good looking probably not much older than thirty years. What was she doing here? His heart ached when Byren's body dropped to the ground his eyes still open.

More people poured into the room and Rowan knew he would not get out of there alive. The first guard, a man with a large greatsword in both his hands dropped the elegant weapon and ran over to the pregnant woman. The sword had a milky white blade, a weapon well known in his native country. Dawn, the ancestral sword of House Dayne. It had disappeared in Robert's Rebellion around the same time he had fled to Essos. Rowan's blood froze when the woman opened her mouth to talk to the guard.

"I'm okay, Ser Arthur! He is dead, but Alyssa is hurt!"

He was in the same room as the legendary Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning and Kingsguard to the late king Aerys II Targaryen. Ser Arthur had been the personal guard of the Prince of Dragonstone, Rhaegar Targaryen. A Northern woman, children with Valyrian traits and a former Kingsguard to protect them? Rowan swallowed hard. He probably just had uncovered the greatest secret of the Seven Kingdoms in recent history and his suspicions would soon be proven right.

The boy Rowan and Byren had seen in the market spotted him behind the curtains. He took a sword from one of the guards and cut the curtain above Rowan's head.

"Here is a second one. Seriously Alyssa, what have you done to receive not only one assassin but two and in your bedchambers?" The boy laughed and pressed the tip of the sword under Rowan's chin.

"Just shut your mouth, Aegon! I did nothing, and you know that!" So, their names were Aegon and Alyssa. The heir and his future sister-wife.

Rowan, knowing when a fight was lost, dropped all his weapons and two of the guards escorted him out of the room and down the stairs in large room with a long table in the middle. They forced him to sit down on one of the chairs. Somewhere a heavy door was closed, and people began talking. The first to enter was the boy, Aegon. He positioned a second chair directly in front of Rowan and sat down himself.

"You must surely be a coldblooded killer, that you did nothing when the lady killed your son or were you too shocked?"

"He was my nephew."

"He picked a fight with the wrong person. The lady knows no mercy when it comes to her child. Who gave you the order to kill my half-sister?"

Rowan swallowed. "Nobody. My nephew confused her with someone else. We didn't know who she was."

"You _didn't_ know? And now you know?"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of who you are, mylord!" Rowan hissed.

"How does a highborn from the Seven Kingdoms end up as an assassin in Essos?"

"Being on the losing side in a war. I guess pretty much the same reason why you are here."

"And you wanted to kill Alyssa to get pardoned by Robert Baratheon? There is no prize on her head, but she would easily pass as Daenerys Targaryen. Robert pays well for _her_ head."

Rowan knew, that there was no way out for him, so why lie? "Yes, he does or for the information that his betrothed is still alive. Giving her to him and I'm sure he would even give me a castle in exchange for his lost love, Lyanna Stark."

"I'm sure he has long forgotten about me as I have about him."

"We'll see how he reacts when he is informed about this. Or you'll see because I'll be gone soon. We found you, others will follow. The king won't stop until everyone who poses a threat to his reign is dead. Starting with the dragon spawn how he calls you. You are his archenemies. Varys will know soon."

Panic aroused in their eyes when he mentioned the spider. It was a lie on his side because he himself never contacted the Master of Whisperers, but the lie was hopefully strong enough to end this conversation and his life. He was tired of talking, tired of life.

"Do not listen to him." Another voice came from outside the room. A terribly melodic voice he had heard before, but the speaker never showed himself. Rowan used the small distraction to free his hands and remove the small vial from his rough leather bracelet, He opened it and before anyone could stop him poured the colorless fluid into his mouth. The poison's effect took in and he began coughing. His vision blurred, and he felt the convulsions all over his body. A quick and clean death.

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 **AN: I hope you liked the prologue. It is a little vague, but I liked the idea of having an introduction to the story from the perspective of a non-relevant minor character (who dies at the end of the prologue :D) English is not my native language, so feel free to correct my mistakes. I like critiques, but please no flaming. When you don't like my fic, just don't read it.**

 **The chapters will hopefully all be around 2,500 to 3,000 words long and I fear that I won't uptade this story regularly. There will also be a prequel story which takes place around the Tourney of Harrenhal and Robert's Rebellion.**

 **This fic is crossposted on AO3 under the same pen name.**


	2. Catelyn I

**AN: Thank you for the comments, follows and favorites. I'm so happy that this fic is so popular (not used to get that much feedback). You are the best! Now here is the first chapter. I'll start with Catelyn POV! Have fun and don't forget to comment, I'd like to hear your opinions! If there are mistakes please tell me so I can change it.**

 **Edited: May 9, 2019**

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When the first rays of sunlight came through the windows, it made Catelyn Stark smile. The sun was rarely visible here in the north and she loved it dearly. At Riverrun, the seat of her family, sunshine was one of the most natural things. At Winterfell it was the cloudy sky and harsh weather, but over the years she came to like it here. It was her home now for almost sixteen years, hers and that of her children. She pushed the heavy furs away and stood up. Her chambers were always warm even without lighting a fire and she could sit there in only her nightgown. She wouldn't even freeze with nothing on but her own skin. Tonight, she had slept alone in her bed. Her husband was still mourning Jon Arryn, who had been like a father to him. It had shocked them all, when the raven had arrived with the message that the Hand of the King had passed away from a sudden fever.

She dressed in a light blue wool dress with a fur collar and did her hair. Here in the north she solely ever needed a handmaiden to help her getting dressed or prepared for the day.

On her way to the Great Hall to break her fast she crossed the courtyard where the boys were already training their swordplay. She smiled first, but then quickly looked away when she spotted her husband's bastard son Jon Snow among the group. Every time she laid eyes upon him her heart ached. Jon Snow had the dark hair and grey eyes of the Starks while her own offspring had the Tully traits, auburn hair and blue eyes. He reminded her every day that her husband had been unfaithful, that he had dishonored her. The noble Lord Eddard Stark to whom honor was the most important thing in life.

She shook her head and continued her way to the Great Hall. Her girls were still eating, and she was happy to see that both behaved. It was quite uncommon for Sansa and Arya not to argue with each other. Especially Arya was a real troublemaker.

"You look happy, mylady. Is it the sun?" Her husband Ned was sitting at the table already finished with his meal.

"Yes. It is very lovely outside, but I fear we have to start preparing today." She sat down on the chair next to him. "The king and his court will be here in little more than a fortnight. There are a lot of things to organize before we are ready to receive his grace."

He nodded and offered her some bread and a honeycomb.

"I still find it unbelievable that Robert honors us with his visit or burdens us if you ask me." He laughed.

Catelyn had just eaten the last of her blackberries when one of the guardsmen, Desmond, entered the hall. He bowed.

"M'lord, there is a rider at the northern gate. He says that he has a message for you and just for you personally. Shall we let him in? I think he's a knight but wears no sigil or banner."

"Aye," Ned answered. "Bring him here. I'm curious who sends a knight as a messenger." Catelyn was curious too. She hoped it wasn't a message from the king's party and luckily it wasn't. She didn't know the man who entered the hall nor was she able to identify the sigil on the wax seal of the letter. Ned seemed to recognize it and gave the knight a concerned look before inviting him to sit at the table. He ordered the rest of his household to leave the Great Hall and when he looked at her she could swear he was thinking of sending her away too. But he didn't.

"I must apologize for disturbing the breakfast, mylord, but I fear we do not have much time. My men spotted a scouting party carrying stag banners and I prefer not to be around here when Robert arrives. I am sure you know why!"

Catelyn inspected the knight more closely. As Desmond pointed out he wore no sigil but his way of talking gave him away as a highborn. He had fair hair and skin, his armor was polished and shining, silver plates with golden ornaments and golden chain mail. Too fine for an ordinary knight.

"Aye, it would cause me an awful lot of trouble," Ned answered and looked at Catelyn. "I would rather not involve you in this, but I guess I have no other choice. Please meet Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning and former Kingsguard to Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King."

"It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Ser Arthur. I might be wrong, but we heard you died in the war while fighting my husband and his men in Dorne." Catelyn was confused and disappointed that Ned had lied to her. She remembered the servants talking about how her husband's party had slain three men of the Kingsguard including Ser Arthur Dayne to get Ned's sister Lyanna back. They also gossiped about the beautiful Lady Ashara Dayne, Ser Arthur's sister who was supposed to be the mother of Jon Snow. Could it be true?

"Many good men lost their lives in the war. I have learned a lot from Lord Commander Gerold Hightower and Ser Oswell Whent was one of my closest friends. It pained me when they died, but we swore an oath and our orders were clear. Nobody was allowed to get near Lyanna Stark. Your lord husband defeated us, and he was merciful enough to spare my life."

Ned broke the seal and unrolled the paper.

"You talk about oaths and, yet you do not serve the king," Catelyn said.

"I do not serve Robert Baratheon for he is not my king. I remain loyal to House Targaryen and that is why you do not want me being here when Robert arrives."

She looked at Ned who was still reading the letter.

"Ser Arthur are you sure that Robert does not know about what is written in this letter?" Ned asked. Catelyn sighed. Her husband looked concerned. She put her hand in his.

"No, I am not sure. Both men died before we could question them in detail. The older man mentioned Varys and that they were after the prize Robert offered for the heads of Viserys and Daenerys."

Ned exhaled. "I hoped he would give up on them."

"They pose a threat to his claim. He will hunt them down until they are both dead. When one of them has sent word to Varys our cause is lost, and we will all die!"

Catelyn stood up. "Ned, what is he talking about? What have you done?" She could hardly keep her anger at bay. "You and Robert have overthrown the Targaryen dynasty. Why are you suddenly concerned?"

Ser Arthur took a few steps back and lowered his head.

"It is about the boy." Ned started.

"The boy?"

"Jon. I lied to you about him!" Now Catelyn was more than angry.

"What part was the lie? It seems Ser Arthur knows. Was there something between you and his sister?"

Ser Arthur coughed. "Ashara was never interested in timid boys. It was the wild wolf she invited into her bed. No, I fear my late sister has nothing to do with that lie."

She thought about what he had said. "Wait, you mean Brandon broke his vows?"

"My brother had that reputation. He had a lot of lovers much like Robert. Nothing comes from talking about the past and the dead. I lied to you when I said that the boy was mine." Ned explained calmly. It took Catelyn a moment to get what he had said.

"Then whose son is he? Another one of Brandon's?"

"Lyanna's!" He paused. "And the second trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen. That is why I am concerned and why I kept it a secret from you. You and the children are not involved; thus, Robert would not harm you."

"How many people know about him?"

"Not many. Ser Arthur, Howland Reed, his parents and I."

"His siblings as well and probably the Martells!" Ser Arthur added.

"Ned, how could you? You lied to Robert about the baby and your sister too? You kept her from him?"

"She started a war not to be with him! She said that she would rather kill herself than spend even one minute with Robert."

"What is written in that letter?"

"Lyanna is scared of Robert. She writes that there have been assassins in their house and that her daughter Alyssa almost got murdered in her bed. One of the assassins recognized her and they had to leave Essos. She is here and there is something really important she has to tell me. Something she cannot write in a letter."

"Then go see her. I will stay here and organize the preparations."

"I was ordered to invite Lord _and_ Lady Stark to come with me," Ser Arthur said.

"I want to hear the whole story on our way. No more lies and no secrets." Her heart ached, and she felt betrayed. It was reasonable to not tell her back then, but after all those years she thought he would trust her. Robert would kill all of them anyways.

Ned went to the stables to ready their horses while Catelyn waited in the yard with Ser Arthur. The boys were still sparring. Like always Robb trained with Jon.

Ser Arthur observed them. "You must be proud of your son, my lady. He seems to be a good fighter for his age."

"I do not watch them very often. It pained me too much to see my children getting along with Jon Snow."

"I believe it was hard for you to have him here. He looks like a wolf among fish. No offense!"

"None taken. You are right. May I ask what his siblings look like?"

"His half-sister looks like her Dornish mother. Aegon and Alyssa both have pale silver blond hair and purple eyes. With the babies it's hard to say."

"That sounds exotic. I never had the chance to see a Targaryen before the war started."

"Trust me, mylady. There is nothing you have missed. I spend most of my life in their company. All of them were or still are mad in their own way. The only one who was close to normal was Queen Rhaella. They all have some obsession that is close to insanity."

Before Catelyn could ask more about it Ned arrived with the horses.

"I told Maester Luwin that we return by nightfall. If someone asks, we had to go because something happened that needed my personal attendance."

When they were on the road north Ned started explaining, but obvious to Catelyn he didn't know where to start.

"You should start with Harrenhal. It was the beginning and the end of many things." Ser Arthur suggested. "At least it's the beginning of their story."

"The great Tourney of Harrenhal. It brings back a lot of memories. Lyanna had nearly ruined our house twice in only one week. I know why my father was so reluctant to let her go with us. She caused more trouble than two Aryas." Catelyn couldn't remember seeing her husband in such a good mood.

"When I think back to it your sister nearly got herself killed once. With her daughter we have stopped counting. She plays in a whole different league and it gets worse every year." Ser Arthur mentioned.

"Is she there too?" Catelyn asked.

"Yes, she is. But she will behave in your presence. No need for concern."

"At Harrenhal Lyanna met Robert Baratheon for the first time." Ned continued. "She was horrified by the thought of marrying him. We should have listened to her. Robert of course was in love with her beauty from the first moment he has seen her. When he wasn't drinking he was only talking about her. Lyanna made herself known right on the first day at the feast. Didn't know what happened but my brother Benjen had teased her and she was so angry that she stood up and poured a whole cup of wine over his head. Everyone in the room has seen it.

"On the second day of the joust she participated as a mystery knight who was later called the Knight of the Laughing Tree. She did it to defend Howland Reeds honor. It ended with the Mad King demanding the knight's head. When we thought it could not get worse she was crowned the queen of love and beauty by Rhaegar Targaryen."

"I heard about that. Robert must have been really angry." Catelyn knew what it meant to give someone the crown of love and beauty.

"Brandon Stark was angrier. We thought he would explode any second. It is quite ironic he got so upset about his sister's honor while he had sired a bastard with _my_ sister the night before." Ser Arthur paused. "He was lucky the king did not hear what he said. He would have lost his head the same day."

"Maybe it would have been better if he had heard it. The day after the tourney Lyanna returned to Winterfell with our father and brothers while I returned to the Eyrie with Robert. That day has been the last we have all been together. A few months later Lyanna and some guards were sent to Riverrun for the wedding. Brandon was angry at father for allowing her to go alone, but Benjen later told me that father knew Lyanna would never make it to Riverrun. He wanted to keep Brandon away from her. When her entourage reached Lord Harroway's Town, she ran away from the guards."

"I picked her up in Harroway's Town, so she could escape her guards. They were very dutiful, and it took some time to trick them but in the end, we took my horse and crossed the Trident with the ferry."

"I bet it was all her idea." Ned said shaking his head.

"She was quite resourceful."

"That sounds just like her. It makes me happy to be able to meet her again after all that time." Catelyn watched her husband. He seemed happier every second while she was fuming. It was hard to not show him how angry she was at him for lying to her no matter the reason. Earlier she had told herself to calm down, but it wouldn't let go.

"So, she was not kidnapped?" Catelyn asked into the silence. Both Ned and Ser Arthur shook their heads.

"I suspected it near the end of the war, after leaving King's Landing for Dorne," Ned continued. "In the Red Keep shortly after finding Ser Jaime Lannister in the throne room I searched for hints to find Lyanna. When I met Ser Gregor Clegane covered in blood I started to run. The only person still alive I found in the nursery. It was Princess Elia Martell. I have seen a lot of horrible things in the war but what Ser Gregor did to her was by far worst. She laid in a pool of blood barely conscious. When I came to her side she begged me to find my sister. In her last moments she told me where Lyanna was."

"Princess Elia has always been kind. She did not deserve to die like this."

"Why did she beg you? There must have been bad blood between Elia and Lyanna," Catelyn said.

"Lyanna took Aegon with her to Dorne. Elia seemed to believe I would not hurt the babe. Robert would have killed him without a second thought. It shocked me when I saw Lyanna with the infant. Seeing Jon for the first time was worse though."

"Why did you bring him with you? He could have stayed with her." Catelyn still didn't want to say the boy's name.

"No, my lady," Ser Arthur answered. "The war was lost, and Robert wanted all of the remaining dragons killed. We fled to Essos and it was impossible to take two infants and a newborn babe with us. They wouldn't have survived a day. Aegon and Rhaenys were given to the Martells and then your husband declared he would take the boy with him home to Winterfell. He named him his bastard, and nobody has ever questioned it, not even you."

The conversation was interrupted by a dead bird falling from the sky hit by an arrow.

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 **AN: That's it! In my opinion Catelyn is not angry enough about the whole 'bastard story', but I think it's not like her to show her anger around other people. But she is really mad about it.**

 **Next chapter is Aegon POV.**


	3. Aegon I

**Thank you again for comments, favorites and followa. It really motivates me to write faster and sorry for the delay. As I said before Ican't promise to update this regularly.**

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Ser Arthur was only gone for a short while when Alyssa started to toss and turn on her cot. It would not take long for her to complain about not being able to sleep in a real bed. Aegon watched her slowly waking up. It was already close to midday and it was pretty unusual for Alyssa as an early riser to still be asleep. He went over to her and sat down on her cot. She mumbled something he didn't understand. It sounded a little like a complaint. He smiled.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart! It's actually sunny outside the tent and you overslept!" She blinked a few times before yawning.

"The babies kept Rila and me awake long into the night. I wish they had waited until our return home!" He had thought the same first. It was rather unfortunate for their visit with the Starks that Lyanna had birthed the twins on their journey without a maester present. There was so much that could have gone wrong. Lyanna was not known for giving birth without any complications. At least the midwife Rila was there and nothing bad had happened yet.

"Your uncle will be here shortly. You should get dressed and presentable."

"Presentable? I always look presentable and under the thick cloak nobody sees what I am wearing anyways!"

Aegon ruffled her silver hair. "I meant your hair not your clothes!"

When Alyssa pushed the furs away Aegon had to look somewhere else. She was only wearing a thin nightgown that didn't leave much to the imagination. He blushed. She was only three and ten, but she already had a woman's body.

"Are you blushing?" She asked amused. "You are my brother, you shouldn't be embarrassed to see me only in my nightgown." She stood up and from the corner of his eye he saw her untying the laces before letting the piece of cloth fall to the ground. "Now you might blush! Look at me or am I such an eyesore?" He stared in the opposite direction.

"Your mother–" He tried, but how could he explain? Lyanna had been quite clear about that topic. He was to turn down his sister's advances. Giving in to Alyssa's demand would only encourage her further. "You are irritating! Just stop it already!" She made a disapproving noise but the rustle of fabric that followed indicated that she got into her dress. He looked at her and sighed in relief. She was dressed, wearing a grey and red wool dress with long sleeves and a high collar.

"Happy now?" She snapped and turned her back to him. No matter how Aegon looked at it, waking his sister and being in her tent had been a bad idea. They weren't children anymore and the thought alone of giving in really was tempting. Alyssa was beautiful, tall for her age with long legs and a nice body shape. Her hair reached her waist and was braided into a single plait most of the time. A few loose strands framed her pale face. Right now, the unruly curls covered her back. She was about to brush it.

"Don't act like a brat over this, Alyssa. There will come a time for sure when I'll give in to your advances, but it isn't now. You are young, too young to call yourself a woman. Just don't rush things!" _Your mother did! Look where it got us!_ he finished in his mind. Lyanna Stark's single-minded decisions had led to the death of thousands. Of course, he would never say that aloud. She was aware of what had happened because of her, she didn't need a reminder. It would have only been cruel. He pushed himself up from the cot and grabbed his cloak. He put it on and immediately missed the silver dragon clasp. It was way too distinctive and too dangerous to wear right now, especially since the incident with the assassin back in Lys. "I'll wait for you outside."

He slipped out of the tent and took a deep breath. The cold air up here in the north was refreshing on the one hand, the burning sensation in his nostrils on the other hand wasn't that pleasant. It was still summer in Westeros and it was already cold. Aegon wondered how it would be to live here in winter. He would probably freeze to death on the spot. Right now, it didn't even snow and he was shivering.

"You've lived in warm regions all your life. It's normal to be cold!"

Aegon turned his head in surprise. Lyanna stood only a few feet away a bundle of blankets and furs in her arms.

"Mylady," he greeted her formally. Lately there was an uncomfortable distance between them. When he was younger Lyanna had treated him like her own child, played with him or took care of him when he was sick. Nowadays she ignored him most of the time. "You are feeling better?"

"We Northerners are tough, and I couldn't miss this sunny day. It's really beautiful!" She smiled and waved him nearer. He went over to her and she put the bundle into his arms without asking. The babe was light as a feather and really small. "You were only slightly bigger than her when I saw you for the first time."

Aegon swallowed. She had never talked about anything that had happened before their escape to Essos, not even once. He looked down at the babe in his arms. It was the girl with fuller hair and longer eyelashes than her twin brother. She looked at him as well with her large purple-grey eyes, a pretty color, less intense and less exotic than his own.

"Have you decided on names yet?" The twins were over a week old and still unnamed.

"I thought we had decided on names before we left Lys but apparently your father isn't so sure about it anymore." She sighed and went over to the fire that burned in front of her own tent. Her steps were unsteady and she looked awfully weak, not like the woman who had killed a man with nothing but a scarf. She sat down on a log.

Lyanna Stark was a strange woman. Over the years she adapted to the lifestyle of a southron lady, wearing dresses and jewelry instead of her riding attire and stopped behaving like a boyish girl from the north. Yet, she was stubborn and often overbearing. Most men she talked to were irritated and sometimes offended by her behavior, unused to meet a strong and self-determined woman. Aegon didn't mind. He'd spent most of his early childhood in the care of his uncle Oberyn who had a lot of strong daughters. Dornish women were dangerous and scary. Thinking about Dorne brought back memories of his older sister. He hadn't seen her in years.

"You look sad. What is bothering you?" Another of Lyanna's strange traits. She cared for him. Most other women wouldn't have tolerated a child that wasn't their own in their household. Sure, the circumstances were a little different with them. He wasn't born out of wedlock, not a strain on his father's honor, but a threat to Lyanna's trueborn children nonetheless. He would inherit the crown if they managed to take back the throne. He discarded his thoughts and went over to sit down next to her. The distance between them closing a little. He handed her the babe.

"I was thinking of Rhaenys. The last time I saw her was six years ago, when she married Quentyn Martell!" A marriage he didn't support. Rhaenys had only been four and ten back then and Quentyn a year younger. They had been children too young to consummate the marriage.

"There arrived a letter from Dorne on the day those men broke into the house. Was it from Rhaenys?"

"Yes, she has a son now, Maron Nymerios Martell. Quentyn has a bad taste in names." Lyanna agreed chuckling. "How can someone be so fond of names starting with 'm'? It sounds ridiculous. Meria and Maron, really?"

"Meria is a pretty name. It is just unfortunate in combination with the surname Martell. It sounds funny not ridiculous. Don't mock your niece and nephew! Who knows what name she will get!" She rocked the girl gently. "The boy will be named after Maester Aemon by the way. We just can't settle on a name for her."

"You should give her a northern name. Then she will always be special in her own way." _And Jon isn't the only one without a traditional Valyrian name!_ Jon … talking about him was a taboo when Lyanna was around. She missed him terribly and even saying his name sent her in a state of pure agony. Aegon knew it wasn't only because she had to leave him. No matter how understanding his brother was, he had to live the life of a bastard and that was hard. He would not forgive his parents for choosing that life for him just to keep him safe and physically unharmed.

"Your father will decide. He chose the names for his five other children and he will name her as well."

After that they stared into the campfire's flames in silence until Alyssa had finished taming her curly hair and joined them in their staring. She didn't sit down, just nudged his shoulder and lifted her skirts a little to show him she was wearing her riding breeches underneath. A silent invitation to take a ride. Taking after her mother in nearly every aspect she of course loved horses and riding, her preferred hobby right after teasing him.

"Please don't go off too far. This is a dangerous place with dangerous people. It's not only the bandits! And take at least one guard with you!" Lyanna told them, knowing exactly what they were up to. "I suggest riding south. There is not that much forest and it's safer than farther north."

 _And we most likely will meet up with Ser Arthur who would insist on returning to the camp!_ , Aegon added in his mind and stood up. Lyanna knew these lands better than anyone else and she was right that it was too dangerous to go on a long ride. So, he had to distract Alyssa with something else and he already had a perfect idea. While she went off to ready their horses he went over to his tent and grabbed his bow. It had been too long since they had practiced with any kind of weapon.

Sometime later they mounted their horses and left the camp towards the road south. Their guard trailed in some distance behind them. Alyssa's pace was fast, she managed to navigate her mare effortlessly through the thick forest and was quickly far ahead of them. Hopefully she would wait at the road. She getting lost was the last thing he wanted right now. It would take hours to find her again.

"You don't have to look so concerned, boy. We scouted the area around the camp thoroughly. The princess is safe even without us!"

Aegon frowned and raised an eyebrow. "She is never safe! Somehow the problems and dangers always find her no matter how guarded she is. Let's better catch up with her _before_ something happens!"

As expected Alyssa had stopped her horse on the road and waited for them. Now that they were on a public road she had pulled her cloak's hood over her head to hide her hair. Aegon did the same. It was just a precaution. There had been no Targaryen in the north for decades and it was unlikely anyone would recognize them and in contrast to Essos there were no slavers here to sell her to some pillow-house or brothel.

They followed the road south until the forest became more open and the sunrays shone through the tree crowns to bath the grassy ground in golden light.

"We should leave the road. I don't think that it's wise to ride into the open field without more protection. Let's stay in the forest!" The guard advised them and Alyssa navigated her horse away from the road deeper into the woods. Only a few minutes later they stopped and Alyssa dismounted. They had found a clearing with a small pool in the middle. Aegon was surprised by the beautiful sight. From what he had seen while traveling most of the north was rough land hardened by the cold winters and snowy summers. There wasn't much vegetation despite short grass, ironwoods and large sentinels.

The clearing was wide enough to provide a decent shooting range. Aegon dismounted as well and led his horse to the pool to drink before he tied the reins to a low hanging tree branch. Their guard would watch the horses but there was always the risk they would bolt because of some unknown noise.

"Come on, entertain me, brother!" Alyssa said smiling. Like her mother she was in a rather good mood today not counting her strange behavior in her tent. "Give me the bow!" Demanding as ever. He walked to her.

"Here." He handed it over. To answer her questioning look he pointed towards his horse. "You have two healthy legs, get the arrows yourself!" Instead of getting them on her own she looked at the guard and the man hurried to bring her the arrows. With the quiver on her back she tested the bow. Aegon knew that it was harder to draw than her own, but she seemed not to mind. While she was shooting arrows into the trunks of some ironwoods, he leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. His surroundings were nearly silent except the arrows' sound hitting the bark and the birds in the trees.

After some time, he opened his eyes again and based on the sun's position it was quite some time past midday. Time to return to the camp. It was possible that Arthur had returned already.

"Alyssa, time to go back!" He shouted and the sound of his voice scared the birds around them. They flew away in panic. Alyssa turned aimed in the air and let go of the arrow. It hit one of the birds farther away and the animal fell like a rock, landing somewhere in the direction of the road.

"You are such a show-off!" Aegon sighed.

"Pure talent!" She collected the arrows and ran to her horse. "Let's look where it is!" She was gone into the woods before the other two even got to their horses.

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 **AN: Question for you: Should I start posting the prequel? I mentioned it before, it's about Harrenhal and Robert's Rebellion. At the moment it has only 3 1/2 chapters which are a lot shorter (only ~1500 words/chapter) than the ones of this story.**

 **Next chapter will be Eddard (and then Lyanna)!**

 **And as an answer to the guest question: Alyssa was born in 286 AC (She is the same age as Sansa), but I think the question answered itself with this chapter.**


	4. Eddard I

**AN: Sorry for not updating this story in a while. Last year I had a lot of problems with university and started my master thesis in March this year. There were a lot of comments on AO3 which made me rethink the plot a lot and it will take time to change the concept. But first here is the new chapter. Ned POV.**

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The party stopped their horses and looked at the dead bird on the muddy road in front of them. It was a young blackbird with dark brown feathers. The arrow had hit its target right under the left wing. A good shot because such a tiny bird was difficult to hit. Whoever shot that arrow had quite some talent with the bow.

"Who did this?" Catelyn asked shuddering. "Bandits?" Ned quickly shook his head. There was most likely no reason for his wife to be scared. Nobody trying to attack them would announce their presence like this. Plus, bandits wouldn't waste their arrows on shooting birds.

"No, the bandits in the north wouldn't make use of such fine arrows. I do not recognize the design, so I guess they are outlandish!" Bandits would use arrows of a rougher design with dark wood and dark feathers of birds native to the north. The arrow on the ground had white feathers and some pale wood was used for the shaft. "And no bandit would get that close to Winterfell without alarming the guards on patrol. I assure you, my lady, we are safe on the roads around our castle. Otherwise I would not allow the boys to play and hunt in the wolfswood."

"It's one of ours!" Ser Arthur said. "My men use those. Arrows like these are common in the free cities. Most people from across the narrow sea have them except the Dothraki."

A moment later they could hear a horse galloping in the distance. The rider was nearing them from the right. Ned tried to see someone, but there were only trees, thick bushes and the sound of hooves getting closer. "Your man coming at us this fast, Ser Arthur?"

"Not at that pace. It is difficult to maneuver the horses through forests as thick as the wolfswood. None of our guards has a high enough riding skill for that."

A small smile found its way into Ned's face. Lyanna had loved the wolfswood and she had easily navigated around the trees. His sister had been the best rider in the north. When it came to horse riding nobody had a chance against her. "It was my sister's most loved activity and the wolfswood the place she spent most of her time."

"Something her daughter has inherited from her. Alyssa is very good with horses. It was most likely her killing the blackbird. She trained a lot with the bow lately."

Then the rider came into view, alone, with a hood covering her face. Definitely a girl by her build and the long elaborate braid that reached down to her waist. She was atop a light brown mare, a very elegant animal and stopped right in front of them, noticing the bird on the ground.

"I have to apologize. The road was closer than I expected, and I hope nobody got hurt?" She pulled back her hood and watched Ned and Catelyn curiously. "Lord and Lady Stark, I believe? I am Alyssa. It is a pleasure to meet you!" All the years since he had received a letter from his sister telling him about her girl, he had asked himself what the princess looked like. In contrast to Jon she looked nothing like her mother. Instead she had the very distinctive looks of a dragon. A beautiful girl with long silver hair and purple-blue eyes, the same color as her father. For living in the warm regions of Essos her skin was unusually pale.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, too, Princess Alyssa!" Catelyn answered politely. His wife looked a little overwhelmed with the meeting. The calm and collected face she had donned after Ser Arthur's unexpected arrival was starting to crumble. On their way back, he would have to explain a lot to her. She probably wouldn't forgive him the lie about Jon and his parents.

"Just Alyssa is fine, Lady Stark!" Alyssa said and turned her head a little to address Ser Arthur. "Mother said you would return past midday. Is it that late already, Ser Arthur?"

He nodded. "It _is_ that late, Alyssa, and you should not ride through these woods alone. Is nobody accompanying you?" He asked with concern and anger in his voice.

"Have I been alone for more than a few minutes since the boy managed to sneak into my bedroom?" She answered sardonically. "Aegon and a guard are with me. They were just slower. Look, there they are!"

Two more riders emerged from the woods. One was dressed in dark brown leathers and wearing a helmet. The guard. The other was wearing a cloak like the one Alyssa wore. Last time Ned had seen Aegon Targaryen he was an infant in his sister's arms. By now he was a man grown and reminded Ned of Rhaegar the first time he had met the prince at the Tourney of Harrenhal. Aegon had inherited a lot of his looks just his hair was shorter, the tips not even reaching his shoulders. Nobody who had seen Rhaegar before would question his parentage. Aegon looked regal on his dark brown horse wearing a dark gray cloak with fine clothes underneath. Alyssa was wearing a dress in red and gray, the colors of House Targaryen and Stark, but no dragon ornaments on both of them. _Thoughtful! It would give away their identity immediately._ Aegon introduced himself the same way his sister did, not wanting to be called by his title. Together, the small party continued its way north towards the camp.

Only a short time later Aegon let his horse fall back and rode next to Ned "Lord Stark, may I ask you something?"

"Aye. What is it?"

"What would Robert Baratheon do if he knew about us?" Ned took a deep breath. He wasn't prepared for that kind of question. Robert was still his friend but images of _that_ day in the throne room came to his mind. The corpses of Princess Elia and the infant presented to Robert by Tywin Lannister as a token of fealty. _I see no babe. Only dragonspawn._ Robert's rage after they couldn't find Rhaenys' body.

"He will never forgive that Lyanna was taken from him." He swallowed hard. "Robert would send men to hunt you down like animals. He never punished Lord Tywin for murdering your mother and she had nothing to do with all of it. She was an innocent. His men searched the whole city to find Princess Rhaenys."

"Good. Thank you for your honest answer, Lord Stark." Aegon was about to leave his side, when Ned suddenly had a bad feeling about the whole situation.

"Wait, what do you plan?"

"Nothing. I was just curious. It is hard to understand why he did all that in pursuit of a woman who did not want him. It was her decision, yet he has punished my family for it." There wasn't a hint of anger in Aegon's voice. The boy was composed and friendly.

"Robert is very impulsive, and it is difficult to understand him. He was hurt after my sister's disappearance and very angry about the deaths of my brother, my father and our friend Elbert. The rebellion was meant to avenge them, and I only realized Robert's actions were irrational when it was already too late. I loved him as a brother but after the rebellion we became estranged. We are not close anymore." Saying that Ned asked himself why Robert was on his way north. Sure, he would ask him to be the next hand without doubt, but after all that happened, why him? _Because he does not know I betrayed our friendship to protect my sister!_

"Excuse me, Ser Arthur. I am interested in the rest of the story. Would you be so kind to tell me?" Cat interrupted his thoughts. Ned wanted to know about it as well. At the tower there hadn't been enough time for Lyanna to tell him everything. He only knew she had fled south, got married there and birthed her son far away from any place she had called home before.

"We crossed the Trident and took a ship to Dragonstone." He paused as both Ned and Catelyn looked at him confused. "Your father, Lord Rickard, had sent a letter to the Eyrie to inform Robert Baratheon of the end to his betrothal to Lyanna Stark. Lord Robert was given a generous compensation. Yet, instead of accepting his loss he was angry that Lyanna was taken from him.

"We never found out who was responsible for telling Brandon, but it could have been Robert. After the murder of your father and brother Aerys was hellbent on erasing the Starks from existence starting with you my lord. Lord Arryn, may he rest in peace, rebelled against that injustice and called his banners."

"Yes, because he loved me like a son and the king had murdered his nephew Elbert. Jon didn't know what else to do," Ned answered. "I just wanted my sister back. Nobody had told me she had gone willingly although I believe that Benjen knew about it. If I had known the truth I would have stopped Robert at the Trident!" Ned felt bad about it. He had unknowingly raised his hand against his own kin, what he believed to be gravely dishonorable. He had allowed Robert to fatally injure his good brother. Had Rhaegar not come back later, Lyanna would have never forgiven him his involvement in the death of her husband.

"Many of us regret their decisions. Had I broken my vows just this one time, Robert would have died back then. But I promised to protect Lady Lyanna and I keep my word. Back to the story. Lord Arryn called the banners and we fled from Dragonstone in a hurry.

"Elia remained there with Rhaenys and covered for us. She had a gentle heart, Princess Elia. It was her who suggested to hide in Dorne. All she asked was that we take Aegon away from the war and keep him safe."

Ned swallowed hard. He knew he couldn't have done anything for the woman when he had found her, but now he wished he could have thanked her for helping Lyanna. _Damn Tywin Lannister!_

"Rhaegar had the High Septon annul his marriage to Elia before we went south, and he wed Lyanna in the Dornish Marches. In Dorne we were met with difficult decisions. The war was raging far away, but it affected us still and when Ser Gerold Hightower arrived it was time to face it. Rhaegar was ordered back to King's Landing by the king and it was an endless discussion on who would stay south. In the end all of us Kingsguard swore to protect Aegon, Lyanna and the child she was carrying. Oswell and I we entertained her for weeks and just as she seemed to relax a little, dark words arrived from King's Landing. Rhaegar had been slain in battle by Robert Baratheon and Ser Jaime Lannister had broken his vows and murdered the king."

Ned knew that there wasn't much of the story left. It had taken him only a week to travel to the Tower of Joy. The only thing left was Jon's birth.

"Why didn't you leave the place you were hiding after that? You were still there when Ned arrived!"

"Ser Gerold, Ser Oswell and I decided to not tell Lyanna about it, but she has eavesdropped, and her body reacted horribly sensitive to any kind of stress."

"The child came too early?" Catelyn asked, and Ser Arthur nodded.

"A little, but it was a strong and healthy boy. It was Lady Lyanna we were worried about. The bleeding didn't stop, and she got a fever. The midwife meant she would not last the night. I stayed by her side, so she wouldn't be alone, but the fever broke in the night and she was better the next morning. It was truly a miracle."

Ned hadn't heard any of this before. He knew that his sister was a little too exhausted when he had found her, but he never expected she had nearly died from giving birth to Jon. She was such a strong woman, hearing Rhaegar's supposed death had shaken her to the bone felt wrong somehow. For Brandon, Benjen and himself she had always been their little warrior sister, not a sensitive young woman desperately mourning the man, he thought, had raped her. Again, he asked himself how he could have so little faith in Lyanna who would never had allowed someone to kidnap her.

"I believe my lord husband arrived shortly after that? Sadly, he never told me anything about what happened in the south." The last sentence sounded reproachful. Ned didn't know why Catelyn couldn't understand his lie. He had promised Lyanna to not tell anyone and that included his wife, the wife he hadn't really known to begin with.

"It would have been dangerous for us if he had told someone about what had happened in the south, Lady Stark. I don't know if you have ever met Robert Baratheon, but I assure you he would have killed not only us but you and your child as well for the betrayal of your husband. Again, Robert knew that Lyanna hadn't been kidnapped. He was obsessed with her, wanted to own her. Lord Stark kept her away from him!"

Ned was irritated that Ser Arthur defended his actions in front of Cat. Last time he had seen the man they weren't exactly on the same side. Yet, in the past years both had obviously developed some kind of mutual understanding and respect. In the end it was probably Lyanna's doing, she seemed to have a large influence on Ser Arthur. Coming closer to the encampment all of them agreed to end their conversation about Robert's Rebellion. There wasn't anything left to tell anyways.

When the tents came into view Cat tried to get his attention. "What is this all about, Ned? There must be a reason why they returned."

"There probably is. We will find out soon. Lyanna is already waiting for us!" He smiled a little seeing the dark-haired woman waiting for him. It took only a few seconds after he had dismounted, then she was in his arms, hugging him tightly. She smelled like some exotic flowers he didn't know.

"I have missed you so much, big brother!" Still a little overwhelmed by that greeting Ned looked at his sister. She was older, not the little girl anymore. Her hair was half down, the other half braided with tiny pearls worked into the braids. Her dress was rather plain, gray wool with red and white flowers embroidered on the skirt. When Catelyn dismounted, the moment, Ned feared most, had come. Now, his wife and his sister would meet for the first time after all that had happened. It wasn't really a warm greeting, but he hadn't expected anything else. He knew there wouldn't be any love between the two women. They were both too different.

"Why are you here, Lyanna?"

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 **AN: There isn't much happening in this chapter, but I thought a little background would be nice before the final meeting. Next chapter will be Lyanna POV.**


	5. Lyanna I

**AN: Finally I have time to write again. This chapter is Lyanna POV. Please enjoy! Next chapter will be Jon.  
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 _Why are you here?_ There were a thousand things Lyanna wanted to answer. In the nearly two decades she had been away from Winterfell, there hadn't been a single day she hadn't thought of her former home and her brothers. Ned had become Lord of Winterfell after Brandon's and their father's deaths by the hand of the Mad King. Benjen, she knew, had joined the Night's Watch. Even in their childhood her little brother had quite some interest in that ancient brotherhood protecting the Wall in the northernmost part of the realm. As a third son he had nothing to inherit, but after Ned became Lord of Winterfell, Lyanna had hoped Benjen would decide on being their brother's bannerman, not unusual for a second son. But sadly, he hadn't changed his mind and now served as a brother of the Watch at Castle Black, a place she personally despised, full of rapists, murderers and thieves. A few centuries ago the Night's Watch might have been a noble and honorable order, but she only knew it as it was now. A place full of criminals guarding the realm from whatever was hiding beyond the Wall. If you could call that guarding. Nowadays most of the castles were deserted and crumbling away.

She looked at her good sister before giving an answer. Catelyn Tully hated her. She tried to hide it, but it was written all over her face. Lyanna found it quite a little unfair that for most people it was her or her husband's fault that there had been a war in the past. She knew better but was not in the mood to inform the southron woman about that.

"Maybe I really just missed you, Ned!" Her smile quickly faded. "Have you read the letter I gave to Ser Arthur?" In her letter she had quickly explained to her brother that two men had broken into their house and had tried to kill Alyssa. What she hadn't told him was the actual reason they had returned to Westeros. It wasn't because of the assassins.

He nodded. "Has anything like that happened before?"

"Not that I know. I have never met anyone before who had figured out our true identities. We were careful, Ned, that Varys would not even get the tiniest hint of our survival. What if he found out? What if Robert found out?"

Robert knowing, she was still alive was Lyanna's worst nightmare. After what had happened during the rebellion Lyanna feared the new king. She had feared Aerys too, but the Mad King wouldn't have murdered his grandchildren and that was exactly Robert's goal, to get rid of every Targaryen left in this world.

"He would not come here if he knew. In that letter you wrote that the intruders did not know who you were first and only found out later."

"They were actually looking for Viserys and Daenerys," Aegon answered for her. "Your _friend_ put quite a bounty on their heads! The older of the two threatened us that others would come and try their luck."

She hadn't expected Aegon to get involved with their conversation. Normally, he had no interest in themes like that, but it must have angered him greatly that Robert's bounty had let to Alyssa being injured.

"Robert is on his way here. He will arrive at Winterfell in probably less than a fortnight. If he knows something, I will send a raven to Maester Aemon at the Wall. He can warn you if you are still here by the time the maester receives the news. I believe there is no need to tell you to retreat further north, right? It is dangerous for you to stay this close to Winterfell!"

Part of her brother's words warmed Lyanna's heart. The way he feared for her safety was just like she had known him in the past. Her caring big brother Eddard. The fact that Robert was already past the Neck frightened her. During the war she had hated him, but after not punishing the crimes committed against Princess Elia, the mere thought of ever seeing him again scared her to death.

"I know. We are here to visit Maester Aemon anyways. Winter is coming, brother and it will be the coldest in centuries. Something is going to happen. Why else would Robert travel this far north?"

"To find himself a new Hand, I suppose? Since Jon Arryn mysteriously died, he needs someone else to do his work while he drinks and fucks half the women in the kingdom!"

Lyanna was surprised to hear her husband's voice. She had expected Rhaegar to join their conversation later. So, the drunk oaf would ask Ned to come south with him. She felt a little sad about Jon Arryn's death. The old man had been very friendly the few times she had met him in the past and he had been like a father to Ned. Rhaegar appeared beside her and caressed her arm with the back of his hand. He bowed his head greeting Ned and Catelyn. Her brother returned the gesture while Catelyn curtsied. At least the woman was polite towards Rhaegar. Lyanna was amused by the look on her face. While he wasn't the stunningly handsome young prince anymore, Rhaegar had aged quite slowly and was still very attractive.

In the past Lyanna had often asked herself what it was that Rhaegar saw in her. He was married to an amazing woman, had a sweet young daughter and on top of that he could have had any other woman. Yet, for some reason still unknown to her this man loved her with all his heart and she was grateful for it. Nothing that had happened to them was able to get between them. While in her youth she never believed to ever fall in love with a man by now she would call her feelings for Rhaegar love. It was not there from the beginning, but the feelings had grown over time and she was happy about it.

"Yes, he will most likely ask me to, but we Starks do not fare well south of the Neck. King's Landing is no place for me or my family." Her brother was right. It had only brought their family sadness and sorrow when one of their own went south. But Lyanna knew how her older brother was and that he could not say no to anybody. He would go with Robert despite his fears and he would regret it later. Hopefully nothing too bad would happen to him in the capital. The Starks had no friends in the south and nobody had friends in King's Landing.

"King's Landing is no place for anyone. You have to be ruthless and a very good liar to survive there. It was no place for Jon Arryn either and most likely the reason why he is dead now," Rhaegar said.

Lyanna grit her teeth. Of course, he knew something he had not told her. She had thought Jon Arryn's death a natural occurrence. The man was old, and it was not uncommon to die from a fever at that age.

"It is quite uncomfortable standing here and discussing such important things. We should retreat to one of the tents," Lyanna suggested already exhausted from wandering around the camp. Her body kept reminding her that the birth of her twins was only two weeks ago. She was not ready yet to face that amount of stress. At least sitting down would help a lot. The others agreed to her proposal and they entered one of the larger tents which had a table and chairs inside. When Alyssa walked in their direction Rhaegar stopped her from coming with them.

"You are too young for this Alyssa!" Within seconds her expression changed from joyous to angry. Her father rarely forbade her from doing something.

"But Aegon—"

"Aegon is not a child anymore! And he is directly involved in what your mother and I have to discuss with Lord and Lady Stark. You are not and I don't want you to be part of it. This is dangerous!"

"I—"

"There will be no discussion about it, Alyssa. I said no and you will accept that answer. You are a few years too young to question my decisions!" Rhaegar was unusually harsh, but Lyanna knew why it had to be like that. She did not want her daughter in the center of this mess. Winter was coming and with it the Long Night. It would not be long now. She remembered the vision with dread. It had been the beginning of their downfall. She had wished more then once that she had not went to the Isle of Faces with Howland. What the gods had demanded from her on that day was unspeakable forcing her from the arms of one man she could not stand into the arms of another man who had already been married. Rhaegar and she only were the gods' pieces in a greater game they did not understand. The union between ice and fire.

After they had taken their seats at the table and each poured themselves a cup of wine their talk continued. Ned was the first to speak.

"Let me repeat what I have said earlier. I will write to Maester Aemon about Robert, but I am sure that he doesn't know! He wouldn't bring the Lannister woman and the children otherwise!" That was a rather convincing explanation, but Lyanna thought Robert capable of deceiving her brother. He had done it before. In the end she had to trust Ned. He would warn them.

"Lord Stark, on your way back north from Dorne has Howland Reed told you about the coming threat? I asked him to." Lyanna raised an eyebrow. She did not know that Rhaegar had talked to Howland back at the Tower of Joy. Their departure had been rather hasty. But Ned nodded.

"He tried to explain it to me, but honestly it was hard to believe. I trust Lord Reed. He is a loyal bannerman of House Stark, but he knew the truth bout you and didn't tell me. He kept it secret. That's the reason I cannot really believe in his words. There are a lot of legends and myths about the White Walkers in the north, but those are stories to scare little children.

"The walkers have been gone for thousands of years, as have the Children of the Forest. The only threat north of the wall are the wildlings. They are gathering around a man who calls himself the King-beyond-the-Wall." Lyanna could see in her brother's eyes that this was not all, and he was holding back information.

"You are keeping something from us, Ned." She wanted to know.

"On the day the letter arrived from King's Landing I was out. There had been a deserter of the Night's Watch. His name was Gared. He served the Night's Watch for years and tried to speak to me about what he had seen on their ranging beyond the Wall. He told me of dead men coming back o live. Dead men with eyes as blue as frost."

Lyanna knew what he was talking about. She had seen the dead men in her vision. An army of blue-eyed corpses. Hundreds of thousands marching south to kill them all. She shivered remembering what she had seen, and she was scared that the day of their arrival was not far in the future anymore.

"It was a deserter. He would have told you anything to escape death. That doesn't mean anything of it is true!" Lady Catelyn said. _Naïve woman! These are not stories. We are not talking about grumkins and snarks._

"Just because you have never seen them, doesn't mean that the White Walkers don't exist, Lady Catelyn. You southerners hide behind your stories and laugh about the old legends, but the north remembers. Hopefully your children are more educated and open-minded than you are, mylady. Otherwise I fear House Stark will have no future." She knew that she should not have said that, but Lyanna could not stand the way Catelyn looked at her. As if she was responsible for all the bad in the world. She had disliked her good sister from the moment the two women had first met. They were as different as day and night and so it was no wonder that they had no love for each other.

"At first, I had thought you changed and matured during you time in Essos, but you are still the irresponsible little girl that came to Riverrun after shaming not only herself but her whole family. It was your fault alone that Brandon and Lord Rickard died, so don't drag the rest of my family into your mess. I don't care what you believe, but I will not see my children being executed because you wanted to come back on a whim."

"On a whim? There is a war coming for all of us. I made mistakes in the past and I regret them. I loved Brandon. Of all my brothers he was closest to me. We were much alike, and I miss him every day but do not make me responsible for his death. He was hot-blooded and that killed him in the end. Be grateful that you got the chance to marry Ned." How dare that woman talk to her that way. Lyanna had not been that angry in a while and she could feel Rhaegar's pleading look. He would not stop her from an outburst, but he did not appreciate her behavior. So, she bit her tongue and held back the rest she wanted to say.

"And how grateful I am," Catelyn answered sardonically. "For sixteen years I was forced to live with his bastard under the same roof only to be told now that Jon Snow is not his but yours. The oh so honorable Eddard Stark lied to me all those years because you couldn't take care of your own child. At least now I know where the boy's insolence is coming from. The apple never falls far from the tree!"

Not a second later Lyanna was on her feet. It was one thing to insult her, that she could handle, but making snide comments about Jon was simply too much. She was about to say something when Ned to a hand on his wife's arm.

"That's enough, mylady. Don't take your anger out on my sister. It was my decision not to tell you. Be angry with me!"

"It's fine! Let her speak, Ned!" Lyanna hissed. "If it makes her happy! There are more important things than that, but if she wishes to throw around insults!"

"Good, because I am not finished yet. The boy puts my children in danger, now more than ever before. I don't want them to be executed for treason. The only good thing is, that he wants to join the Night's Watch anyways, hopefully rather sooner than later!"

 _Night's Watch?!_ Lyanna swallowed hard. That was the last thing she wanted for her son. Castle Black was the worst place in all of Westeros. She had to stop him from throwing away his life. The only one who was more shocked by that revelation was Aegon. He unsuccessfully tried to hide his panic from his father who looked at him in confusion. Aegon had come to her a month ago to talk about something important. At first, she had asked herself why he wanted to talk to her instead of his father until she had realized that it was about Alyssa and that she would not like it at all.

Lyanna had known about her daughter's feelings for her brother quite a wile and she had also known that he felt the same. And there he had stood begging her permission. She had refused directly and told him to turn down Alyssa's advances. Moments later she had regretted her harsh answer and had told him to wait a few years so she could get used to it. He had thanked her and after a short pause he had also told her that he would renounce his birthright in favor of Jon to be with Alyssa.

Without a second thought she called for a servant.

"Saddle my horse as quick as possible! I need to ride to Winterfell!" Everything and everyone else disappeared from her mind while she rushed out of the tent to change into her riding clothes. _He needs to know the truth! He may hate me as long as he doesn't take these vows!_


	6. Aegon (Bonus)

**AN: This one is called a bonus chapter because it's rather short in comparison to the other chapters but not less important.**

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It has only taken seconds for the meeting to head south. There were few things Lady Catelyn could have said to provoke an outburst on Lyanna's side. The she-wolf had become much calmer over the years, but it had been highly unwise to include Jon into their dispute.

After Lyanna's rushed disappearance Aegon remained frozen on his chair. His brother could not join the Night's Watch. If he did Aegon could not be with Alyssa. A man in a relationship with his sister was not fit to be king. Their ancestors had done it for generations bringing forth terrible rulers. Claiming the throne was not a path he would take, not his destiny. He had wanted it in his childhood days, but not anymore. Now he wanted to serve and see his family regain their position in the Seven Kingdoms once the usurper Robert was dead.

His father was the first to regain his voice. "It seems I have to apologize for that misunderstanding, mylady. It was _I_ who decided to leave my children behind against Lyanna's will. Your husband was kind enough to offer Jon a place to grow up far away from the south and Robert."

Lady Catelyn seemed at a loss of words. The anger on her face was now laced with fear and she was turning white. _Maybe she regrets what she said a moment ago. It was said in anger anyways._ Aegon had learned not to give much about the words of angry people. Most things were said only to hurt the other and not because the speaker meant it. _Words are wind!_

"And yet the fact that he is living with us endangers me and my children!" Catelyn retorted not as harsh as she had talked to Lyanna.

"There was a minimal risk of anyone finding out. Since our husband is known to only tell the truth, nobody questioned his story. It's hard to confirm something else without any evidence and there was none! It will stay a secret while Robert sits the throne. There is no reason to start a war when the realm is finally at peace." After a moment of silence, he continued. "If you excuse me for a moment, I need to talk to Lyanna alone. She is rather determined to ride with you to Winterfell!"

He left the tent. It was risky to let Lyanna go to Winterfell. If someone recognized her, she would really endanger her family. _But she must talk to Jon, otherwise my plans are ruined!_

"We should postpone this meeting. I will keep in mind that there is a potential enemy lurking in the lands beyond the Wall, but winter is not here yet, so there is still time. I will write to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and talk to Robert, but I'm not sure if he believes any of this. That is all I can do."

Aegon nodded and rose to his feet.

"Hopefully, it will be enough. You would rise to a position of power should you become Hand of the King, Lord Stark." With that Aegon turned around to leave as well only to be stopped by Ned.

"It was wrong of me to rebel against the crown. I blindly believed what Robert told me, not questioning it once until I found Lyanna in Dorne. I thought he was my friend, but he betrayed my trust by lying to me about the abduction. I didn't listen to my little brother who tried to explain everything before I gathered the northern army. Had I known that my father ended Lyanna's betrothal to Robert, things would have turned out differently."

"It's fruitless to talk about things that could have happened. Your actions were justified. You rebelled against a tyrant who brutally murdered your brother and father. I would have done the same." It was wrong to apologize for something that was right and a rebellion to dethrone the Mad King could not be wrong. "Jon Arryn called his banners because Aerys demanded your head. It was the only thing you could have done to save yourself from a terrible death. I believe it would have ended the same no matter if you fought by Robert Baratheon's side or not. The people suffer under the rule of a madman."

"Your family was on the receiving end of that rebellion. It cost you most and yet you call it justified. The sack—"

"The Sack of King's Landing was not part of the rebellion. It was Tywin Lannister's sick groveling to get on good terms with the new king. The war was lost and there was no need to storm and plunder the city." He paused for a moment. "Don't mistake me, mylord! I found yours and Jon Arryn's actions justified, but that doesn't mean I will ever forgive Robert Baratheon or the Lannisters. One way or another they will pay for their crimes. And if it's only for the murder of my mother!"

Ned stood as well and picked up a sack from the ground. He walked over to were Aegon stood and handed him said sack. The content was heavy like a stone.

"A gift to apologize for what I've done. It won't bring back the ones you have lost, but it is quite valuable."

Intrigued Aegon opened the sack to see a scaled red stone inside. At first, he did not know what it was until realization hit him and he stared in disbelief at Ned while pulling out the egg.

"Quite valuable? That's not just some humble gift you give to a stranger. A dragon egg is worth a fortune this one more so, since it's not petrified." Aegon stared at the egg in awe. The scales gave it a rough pattern and the egg emitted a little warm.

"It had been in possession of House Stark since the Dance of the Dragons given to us by Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. In contrast to the stories about Vermax laying eggs in the crypts, it was actually one of Syrax' eggs if it's true what Old Nan told us as children. The egg was meant to be given to the Targaryen princess who was supposed to marry Lord Cregan's heir," Ned explained.

"Yet, that Pact of Ice and Fire has never been fulfilled. Are you sure that you want to give this egg to me instead of Alyssa? She is your niece after all."

"You are your father's oldest son and heir to your house." _Am I?_ The question was left unsaid.

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 **AN: I kindly ask you not to complain about the existence of that dragon egg. This won't be a story where everyone just miraculously gets one or more dragon eggs. There will be more but the number is limited. It would be unrealistic otherwise. So, no they won't have like twenty dragons to take over Westeros :D Ridiculous!**


	7. Jon I

**AN: Please enjoy! Had to rewrite the chapter several times because it was awful and it sounded like I wrote i in the middle of the night :D**

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There was not a day lately that Jon did not want to be somewhere else, away from the judging eyes of the servants and Lady Catelyn's constant anger. When he was younger, he could not really understand why she loved her own children dearly and had only hatred left for him. As he grew older he learned to understand what it meant to be a bastard. That he was a child born out of wedlock during the war. Lord Eddard had brought him to Winterfell to take care of him. Of course, his presence had insulted Lady Catelyn deeply. She was the lady of their household and being reminded daily of her husband's unfaithfulness and betrayal was hard to tolerate. Yet it had not been Jon's fault his father had not kept to her bed. It was unfair to be treated like that.

Jon wished he knew his mother or at least her name. Nobody ever talked about the woman not even his father when they were alone. After the years Jon began to believe she was a whore in some brothel along the road south or some baseborn tavern wench but most likely dead by now. Her being a whore would explain why he had been taken to Winterfell. A brothel was no place for a child and Eddard Stark would not have allowed his own blood to grow up under such conditions. In the end it did not matter since he would never know the answer to that question. His mother would always remain a mystery. While still deep in mind someone knocked on the door of Jon's chambers.

"Enter!"

It was one of the servants.

"Lord Stark sent me. He wants to see you in his solar immediately." Jon nodded and got up from the chair he had been sitting on. If it was something important, he should better hurry.

Not knowing what exactly awaited him Jon opened the door to his father's solar. The times he had been summoned there could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Mostly, it had to do with Lady Catelyn complaining on Jon's behavior. Today there had to be another reason, because he was sure he hadn't done anything wrong and Lady Catelyn had been away from Winterfell the whole day. His father was sitting behind his desk, a large table made of dark oak wood, when Jon entered the room. He gave his son a sad smile.

 _Something is clearly wrong!_ Jon thought and closed the heavy door behind him. _Is he going to send me away?_

"Please have a seat, Jon. What we have to discuss will take some time so make yourself comfortable!"

"Are you going to send me away from Winterfell?" Jon asked not being able to hold back what he was thinking. He had planned to leave his home when his uncle Benjen visited next time but leaving on his own account was an entirely different story than being thrown out by Lady Stark.

"Of course not, Jon. You will always have a place under my roof" —he paused for a moment—"it is time to talk about your mother."

Jon swallowed hard while he placed himself in one of the armchairs in front of the hearth. He had not expected that. His mother had been a taboo as long as he could remember, the one woman that had managed to even let Eddard Stark forget his honor for a second. Lady Catelyn believed her to be Ashara Dayne, a Dornishwoman and highborn lady from Starfall, but his father would have never dishonored Ser Arthur Dayne's sister. Only a madman would have challenged the Sword of the Morning.

"Why now?" Jon asked curiously.

"You want to go with Benjen to join the Night's Watch. I thought you have a right to know the truth before making a decision. It could probably change your mind."

 _It does not change the fact that I am a bastard, Father! And that is the reason I want to serve at the Wall. The Black Brothers do not care if I am born out of wedlock!_ Jon wanted to scream at his father. There was nothing he could think of that would actually change his mind. This was the path he had chosen for himself.

"Then please go on," he answered instead.

"Is it okay for you if she explains for herself?"

Jon stared at him in disbelief. "She is here? Alive?"

His father nodded. "She would understand if you choose not to talk to her. In that case I would explain it to you."

Again, Jon swallowed hard. Suddenly he felt utterly uncomfortable in the cushioned chair. He was beginning to sweat lightly as well. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I want to know who she is!"

"You may come in," his father said a little louder and the door to their right was opened. Jon jumped to his feet and turned around to look at the newcomer. The first thing he realized was that she was undoubtedly a northern woman. Her dark brown curls were braided the same way his sister Sansa wore her hair. In contrast to his little lady sister, the woman in front of him was dressed in riding attire, reminding him of Arya. She had a long yet beautiful face and the same dark gray eyes as he had. There was no possible way this woman was a commoner. She held herself in a regal way, her clothes were of a very fine quality and her hair was too shiny. Jon had expected a plainer southern girl from the Reach or the Riverlands. All those years he had thought he had inherited his father's looks and he could not be more wrong. Seeing her he looked nothing like Eddard Stark.

 _Who is that woman?_

She watched him with the same curiosity. "Good evening, Jon. Thank you for allowing me to meet you," she said politely. "I am Lyanna!"

Now he was staring at her with a gaping mouth unable to fully comprehend what was going on. Lyanna Stark had died from a fever at age sixteen in the arms of her brother. She was looking so much like a Stark she could not be someone else. Had she been too afraid to return north after her abduction and being raped.

"Lyanna Stark?"

She nodded. When Lyanna Stark was his mother, then Eddard Stark could not be his father. Him sharing the bed with a whore Jon could believe, but he would never have laid hands on his little sister.

"It seems you have realized—" his father began. No, Lord Stark.

"You are not my father? So, Lady Stark was right the whole time, I do not belong here!" His confusion was slowly turning into anger. Why would Lord Stark raise his sister's bastard when she was still alive and, if not Lord Stark, who was his father? The answer to that question was simple. Lyanna had been abducted and raped by the crown prince, Rhaegar Targaryen.

 _Great, now I am a royal bastard and the product of rape. Thank the Gods that nobody knows about it!_

Still angry he turned to his mother. He could see in her eyes that she knew what he was thinking. Apparently, she felt sad and ashamed.

"As I said before, you will always have a place under my roof. You are my blood, Jon. Not my son, but my blood and I will always protect you."

"Then I want to know the truth why I could not stay with you!" Jon addressed Lyanna.

She took a few steps towards him.

"When I was a little younger than you are now, our maester started to whisper in our father's ear. He began to develop some _southern ambitions_ betrothing Brandon to Lady Catelyn and me to Robert Baratheon. Robert was Ned's idea, but I hated the man. He had a bad reputation and terrible manners. When father told me, I voiced my complaints, but he was adamant to advance his influence south of the Neck. That was also the reason why House Stark attended the great Tourney of Harrenhal, a lavish feast that changed our lives forever!

"Your uncle Brandon had an affair with Lady Ashara Dayne, a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elia Martell. He left her with child and her brother Ser Arthur wanted to kill Brandon afterwards. It took a lot of people some time to convince him not to murder the future Warden of the North. Ned stopped speaking to Brandon afterwards, because he had been infatuated with Lady Ashara."

His fath‒ uncle turned his head away in shame. "I would have married her even with the bastard."

"You see, Jon, that living together with them was not exactly easy. I spent most of the tourney with Benjen and Howland Reed to avoid my brothers' quarrel and jumped head first into my own doom."

"You met my true father there, right?" Jon did not want to cause her pain by talking about it, but the servants at Winterfell had sometimes talked about Harrenhal in the past. To his utmost confusion she smiled at him. It was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I met him there at the feast in the Hall of the Hundred Hearths. It was the evening before the first joust. He asked me for a dance, and we talked a lot during the following days. What we did was not appropriate. I was promised to someone else and he was married, worst of all Elia was already pregnant with Aegon."

Jon listened to her story patiently. After some time, it became clear that the rumors about Lyanna's abduction were just that, rumors. Nothing he had heard before was true and she pointed out more than one time that was not unwanted and a child loved by both his parents. His anger slowly subsided and after all the news he was not even surprised by the fact that his father was still alive. But his question as to why he had to live separated from them had not been answered yet. It disappointed him that she had given him away.

"I thank you for being honest, but why had I to grow up in Winterfell alone, away from you?"

"Robert had already claimed the throne when you were born. The Lannisters had brutally murdered Elia and her substitute child and we knew about Robert's hatred for anyone with Targaryen blood. With Dragonstone under siege and the Red Keep being taken from us we had no place to go. Exile was our only option and we both wanted to protect you. Ned offered to take you in and hide you from Robert while we could get settled in our new life."

"So, while I lived here my siblings lived with their relatives in Dorne?"

"Yes, they were raised by their uncle Prince Oberyn alongside his bastard daughters. I wanted you back the moment we found a place to stay, but Ned had assured me that you were happy at Winterfell and Essos is no place for Northerners like us."

At first, Jon thought he felt nothing about these revelations. Maybe a little happy that his mother was still alive, but he was not prepared for the sudden anger he felt inside his body. His rational thoughts started to drift away and made place for unwanted judgement. A second ago he was ready to forgive her for leaving him behind, but that angry side of him did not let go. It grew and grew until it completely overwhelmed him, and he wanted to scream at her, curse her for the life he had to live but never deserved. The rage was like a flame burning through him fighting is way out. It hurt. He was unable to say something and the whole situation was simply to much for him. He got up from his chair and ran out the room. He ran and ran until he collapsed to his knees and felt the tears running down his cheeks. He had never really cried in the past and at the moment he wished that he could be more composed.

"I am truly sorry that I lied to you, Jon. You deserved to know but I was a coward." Jon could barely hear his uncle's words. His ears were ringing, and he did not want the man to see him like this. "I feared that you would run away. I promised your mother to take care of you and the truth would have put you in danger instead."

The truth. Eddard Stark was not his father. Robb and the others were not his siblings. He was not a bastard.

"Is Jon even my real name? Or just another lie to keep me _safe_?" As the tears dried the rage returned.

"It is your real name. As far as I know you were named after Jon Connington, the late Lord of Griffin's Roost. He died at the Trident and was one of Rhaegar's closest friends and supporters."

Jon had heard the name before in one of Maester Luwin's lessons. Jon Connington had been Hand of the King during Robert's Rebellion and was later exiled to Essos for losing the Battle of the Bells against Robert Baratheon. His whereabouts were unknown afterwards.

"Would you leave me alone? I need some time to think!" Jon said trying to sound more composed than he actually was. The fire was still raging on, but he had regained his ability to think clearly.

"As you wish. I will send Lyanna back to her camp. It's to dangerous for her to stay here. You can meet her there if you wish to see her again." Jon heard his uncle take a few steps before stopping. "There is more I need to tell you. Your parents' relationship may have started as something inappropriate, but the way they handled it later was the right one. Your grandfather Lord Rickard gave them his blessings and sent a letter to the Eyrie to tell Robert about the end of the betrothal. The letter for me never arrived and I was told lies about my sister's abduction. Whoever was involved in that farce or responsible for it most likely wanted to provoke a war!"

 _How can anything they have done be the right thing? I may not be a bastard, but my existence is just as wrong!_

The time to forgive any of them had yet to come. No matter how good the explanation it still hurt terribly. They had betrayed and abandoned him, not only his parents but his uncle as well. He had worshiped Eddard Stark and now he felt lost and even more alone than before. To join the Night's Watch was a decision he had yet to make and he was unsure if this was what he wanted. It was his uncle who wanted him to go for the Starks had manned the Wall for generations.

 _But I'm not a Stark!_


	8. Alyssa I

**AN: So, I've finished the next chapter. It's Alyssa's POV and storylines will drift apart from now on.**

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Nearly a week had passed since the visit of Lord Eddard Stark and his wife and moods had been bad ever since. Alyssa could understand why.

Her mother was shocked by Jon's reaction and scared of the consequences. After revealing the truth to him she had had no chance to speak to him again because he had refused to see her. So, she had travelled to Winterfell in vain.

Aegon had not said a word since then and her father was ignoring the situation completely. It was obvious that aside from Jon's reaction something had happened between the two and Alyssa did not like it at all. The last few days she had not attempted to mend their dispute, but it started getting on her nerves. There was nothing more boring than travelling with no one to talk to. Talking to her mother was useless while she was still in shock and her father would not talk to her anyways, that left either Ser Arthur, who had most likely found out what had happened by now, or her brother. The latter was easier to handle even though he was not talking at all.

Alyssa looked around and saw Aegon riding directly behind her. She let him catch up.

"What's wrong with you?" He did not even bother to look at her. "Would you answer, please?" As she did not receive an answer, she made him stop.

"I have no interest in your childish games, Alyssa. Cut it out and find someone else to bother!" Never before had he been so harsh towards her. Whatever the reason of his bad mood, it was something serious.

"I don't want to bother you. I want to help you. There is something troubling you and it seems everyone knows except me." He turned his head and his indigo eyes stared into her own. His mouth moved without making a sound clearly forming the word _later_. She nodded and they continued their travel north in silence.

Their traveling party rode until the sky started to turn dark before making camp. Alyssa waited patiently for her brother to meet with her. It took some time, but he came. She made herself comfortable and invited him to do the same. He shook his head.

"I'd rather not sit down." He paused. "What do you want to know?"

"The reason why you had a fight with our father. And don't tell me that you didn't have one. The way he is brooding all day is not normal behavior even for him."

"I told him that I don't want to be his heir. He didn't take it well!" _As if he would. You are his firstborn son, you idiot!_

"Why?"

"You!" That was all he said. He could not even look at her. She did not understand. How could she be the reason he no longer wanted the throne? As they both remained silent, she started to think about it, but to no avail. She had not the slightest idea. "Who would support me with you by my side? I would just be another madman for the people."

Then it dawned on her. She had always thought that he meant what he said when he had told her that he was not interested in her. _What a stupid girl I am!_

"Giving up your claim was not what made you fight. You told him about us?" Not that there had ever been an _us_ before.

"Yes, I told him. He said it is my duty, not Jon's, to be his heir and I would be wise to choose it before love." He closed his eyes. "What a hypocrite to tell me that, after he completely abandoned duty for love in the past! That's why we fought."

 _He had a duty to the Old Gods as well! He chose that one over the other._

"Why should we care what people think about us? Our ancestors have married each other for centuries!" She could not understand why he was so against it.

"Aye and the outcome was always disastrous. The problem is that I'll heed his advice, Alyssa. Should Jon not overthink his decision to join the Night's Watch, I'll do my duty even if I must give you up for it. It's not what I want but it's the right thing to do." His voice broke. He must have thought about that the past few days. Alyssa tried to blink back the tears that filled her eyes. His words cut deep, and they were breaking her heart. She had not expected him to reject her after saying that he wanted her just a few minutes ago.

"So, that's it?" She sniffed. "Then let's hope you will be happy with your crown! In case you get it back to begin with!"

Without saying another word, he nodded and left her tent. She could glimpse a single tear running down his cheek.

He was the only thing she had ever wanted and now she would lose him. All because of the decisions of another brother she did not even know. _Jon._ The encounter with him had left her mother in tears. It made Alyssa angry and ashamed of herself. It was wrong of her to be angry with him for not changing his mind. It was understandable. He had been lied to his whole life and he had been treated badly because of it. Alyssa had no right to judge him. Their parents had abandoned him and started a new life across the Narrow Sea. That must hurt. The tears she held back before now flowed freely.

Suddenly, she realized, that she would have to stay close to Aegon despite his rejection and that was something impossible to do. It was like torture and there was a way to escape all that. She would run.

Alyssa wiped off the tears with her sleeve and carefully made a plan. By nightfall she would take a horse and ride south towards Winterfell. The Usurper was most likely there already and no one would try to find her there because of him. It was dangerous, but the Starks were good people and they were family too. She took a deep breath and sneaked out of her tent to one of the wagons. It took some time until she found what she was looking for, but she did and sneaked back without anyone noticing her. In her hands she held a jar filled with a dark brown paste. Dye to hide her silver hair and her identity with it. Her uncle would know her but for the others she would think of a story while she was on her way.

It was not long until the sun disappeared behind the large ironwood trees. By then Alyssa had already rubbed the paste in her hair. It had now nearly the same color as her mother's, a shiny dark brown that let her look like a northerner. She had Lyanna's face after all. The purple eyes she could not hide, but that trait was not too uncommon in Essos. She nodded towards her reflection in the looking glass and left the tent. There were guards posted in a circle outside the camp, but the horses were currently unguarded.

 _Today is my lucky day!_ , Alyssa thought and sneaked through the camp. She saddled her mare and put her most beloved belongings into the saddle bags before she mounted the horse.

"I thought we had taught you better then to leave in the middle of the night without saying goodbye!" someone said from behind. It was her father's voice. She turned in the saddle and watched him. "I will not stop you, Alyssa. If this is what you want, then do it, but at least tell someone."

Alyssa felt guilty instantly. She had not thought about her family at all. Of what they would think when she was suddenly gone.

"I'm sorry, but she would have never let me go! There was no other way!" He walked over and in an instant Alyssa dismounted and wrapped her arms around his middle. He held her for a moment and murmured some words in her hair she could not understand.

"The way south is dangerous! Be swift, Alyssa and don't hesitate. Don't stop until you reach your destination and take this!" He pressed something in her hand. A dagger. It was beautifully crafted the hilt and scabbard decorated with rubies of different sizes. The blade was dark as smoke.

"That's Valyrian steel! Where —"

"I wanted to give it to you on your next name day. The dagger fell into my hands a few months ago and I commissioned a new hilt. I thought you would like it and it is easier to hide than a sword." She pressed it to her chest and nodded thankfully. "Those rubies once decorated my armor a long time ago. I hope you'll never have to use this! Be safe, Alyssa!" He kissed her on the forehead and lifted her onto the horse. She swallowed and put the dagger in one of the saddle bags before riding off into the darkness. She wondered why her father let her go alone.

It took Alyssa a few days to arrive at Winterfell. When she left the woods, she could see the ancient castle on the horizon. It was a massive building of grey stone surrounded by two thick granite walls. The walls alone were about a hundred feet high. It was impressive.

 _My mother's ancestral home!_ Alyssa imagined how it must have been growing up here. Winterfell was huge and the surrounding landscape beautiful. She liked it, but it was still summer and in winter, she believed, life must be hard with the harsh weather and snow.

Nearing the castle's North Gate, she spurred her horse into a fast trot. There were guards watching her arrival and they kept her from entering.

"State your name and business in Winterfell, m'lady!" one of them told her.

"Alyssa Maenyreos. I wish for an audience with the castle's lord." She had used the name of one of her friends, the daughter of a petty but wealthy merchant in Lys, she had met while selling wares with Aegon.

"Our lord is busy with preparations. He has no time to deal with foreign children, girl!"

"Then call for someone else, please! I've come a long way and I'm tired. My father is a merchant who trades grain with Lord Stark." Why were those guards so stubborn? What danger could a girl of thirteen pose? She was unarmed with her dagger still packed away in the saddle bags.

"Who is this, Desmond?" Someone asked from the inside.

"Lord Robb!" The two guardsmen bowed. "A girl who wants to speak to Lord Stark. A foreigner."

Alyssa watched the newcomer. It was a young man not much younger than Aegon with auburn hair and kind eyes. Her cousin Robb. She dismounted and dropped into a quick curtsey.

"She may come in. My father won't want such a young girl to wander around alone. Please come in, mylady." He smiled at her and offered one arm. A stable boy ran over to take her horse to the stables. "I'll escort you to my father's solar. He should already be awake."

"Thank you, mylord. I am most grateful for your help."

"Are you highborn, mylady? The way you speak—"

She smiled. "I'm from Essos. The concept does not really exist in the Free Cities, but my family is wealthy, and I was granted a proper education."

They entered the keep through a big wooden door. Robb led her upstairs and after a few minutes they reached a room that was most likely Lord Stark's solar. Robb knocked and opened the door after a moment.

"Father, there is a guest who wants to see you."

Alyssa could not hear the answer, but she was escorted inside. Lord Stark was sitting behind a large desk made from dark oak wood, a letter in hand. He looked up and it took him a moment to recognize her. His eyes went a little wider and he signaled Robb to leave. When the door was closed again and they could no longer hear Robb's footsteps on the stone, he stood up and inspected her head to toe.

"By the gods, why are you here, my princess?" He bowed and she turned red in embarrassment.

"Alyssa, please. I'm not really a princess." Nobody had called her princess in years. When she was younger, her father had often said 'My little princess' in High Valyrian while patting her head. She had liked it, but he had always looked sad. "I ran away from the camp!"

"For what reason? This place will soon be very dangerous for you!"

She could not tell him that she had acted like a spoiled child after being denied the things she had wanted. But now that she was thinking about it, there were a million other reasons why she had made the decision. Her life in Essos had always been dangerous. Her close resemblance in appearance and age to her aunt Daenerys had been problematic. People were looking for her and that had led to the assassin dilemma a few months ago. She was tired of those events and nobody would expect a Targaryen living in the Stark household. Winterfell was safer for her than Essos had ever been even with the usurper visiting. He most likely did not know of her existence and as long as she kept her hair dark nobody would even look at her.

"I lived my whole life in fear of people finding out who I really am. There is no save place for me as long as Princess Daenerys is hunted. It seems those men easily take me for her. At least that king of yours would not expect me here and I dyed my hair."

He nodded. "My wife won't be happy. It's dangerous, but I won't send you away. Maybe one day you believe me trustworthy enough to tell me the whole story, but I understand. I would not want _my_ children to wander around alone. The same goes for my sister's children!" He walked over to stand in front of her. "I hope someone in your camp knows where you are. When your mother suddenly went missing it started a war!"

Alyssa nodded. "Father knows. Thank you, Lord Stark for allowing me to stay here despite the dangers my presence here poses to your family. I'm aware of it, but I know no other place to go to. I'm in your debt!"

"I'm your uncle, Alyssa. You can call me by my name. I'll call for a servant now who will show you to your rooms. You can break your fast with us after unpacking."

A servant girl brought her to a room deep inside the castle. These were no guest rooms. _As if he would put me in the guest rooms with the usurper arriving. Too risky!_ Her chambers were small but comfortable with a large bed, a desk and a large dresser. From the window Alyssa could see the godswood. Someone had already brought up her saddle bags and so she started unpacking. It was a quick affair for she had had no time to pack much in her rushed departure. Her few dresses went into the dresser together with her second set of riding garbs and the Valyrian steel dagger under her pillow. She would not have need of it here. A sudden scratching at her door let her stop. She turned around and walked over to the door, opening it a little. There was no one outside, but she could feel something soft at her legs. When Alyssa looked down, she saw white fur and took a step back in surprise. _A wolf pup?_ She watched the pup rubbing its head at her leg. On instinct Alyssa started to pet the wolf. Its fur was incredibly soft.

"Ghost? Where have you gone off this time? Come here, boy!"

* * *

 **AN: Not the best chapter in the world, but I posted it anyways. It will most likely change a little, but I want to continue with the story first instead of being stuck with those chapters I personally don't like much :D Hope you guys liked it.**


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